<p>And also, how come ED and EA are better for the university than for the student? I really don't understand. :</p>
<p>ED gives you a better shot because colleges know that every student they accept is bound to attend their school - they can basically pick future freshmen this way. With ED, there's no "tufts syndrome" to worry about - the school won't reject you because you're overqualified, and they will consider your dedication if you are a slightly underqualified applicant. ED is better for the university because accepted students must attend, regardless of financial aid, better offers, etc. It takes the pressure off of schools in terms of baiting applicants to choose them.</p>
<p>I don't think EA should be lumped in with ED at all - the only similarity is that decisions for both come earlier. EA is non-binding, usually non-restrictive, and doesn't necessarily benefit the student - the point of EA is to allow students to get a couple acceptances under their belts earlier. It's not much like ED at all, IMO.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. :)</p>
<p>As Highopes says, ED gives you an advantage because you become a "bird in hand" to the college. Virtually all kids accepted ED actually come to the school whereas kids accepted RD don't even have a 50% yield to the college even at the more selective schools. In fact, 50% is an enviable yield to the vast majority of colleges. ED allows the colleges to build a base for their class. This way they KNOW how many of what type of students they are definitely going to get instead of playing the odds game. </p>
<p>EA is not as definitive so it does not give as much of an advantage. It still gives students an advantage because studies have shown that more kids go to their EA schools than overall. The reason being that if they are accepted to a school they like early, why continue with the college app process? It is game over for them, and they are perfectly happy not to have to fill out another app. Also admission directors are a bit more generous at the beginning of the admissions process as they have no one to compare the early apps to and they need to start putting together a class. It becomes tougher to accept as there are fewer seats left and a student , app, or essay looks a lot less interesting after having gone through thousands of the same that admissions year. You might look really good as a multi lingual, ballet dancer that also mountain climbs with a certain test score and class rank, but if later in the season it just so happens that there are a few hundred more like you, the novelty is over.</p>
<p>For the reasons stated above, ED does indeed tend to give the applicant a "boost" -- although your stats still need to be competitive, because just applying ED will not help an unqualified candidate.</p>
<p>EA, on the other hand, gives no such boost. At some schools, the EA round is actually MORE competitive than the RD round. For example, Boston College tells students to apply EA only if they are very strong candidates. BC has a stated policy of filling no more than 1/3 of the freshman class from EA, so they are much more conservative in admissions until they have reviewed the entire applicant pool.</p>
<p>One caveat about any ED/EA boost: applying ED/EA, in and of itself, won't be enough of a boost to overcome lackluster grades and test scores. ED or EA can SOMETIMES help if you are borderline, but not if you are totally out of the pool. It can heal the sick, but it can't raise the dead.</p>
<p>At a few colleges, the admit rates for ED are pretty close to regular decision. And, at a few schools, the admit rates for EA are actually LOWER than for regular decision. So, before assuming you'll get a giant boost through EA or ED, do your research on the school!</p>
<p>What happens if you apply ED to more than one school? Or is this somehow impossible?</p>
<p>Not that I plan to try it, but I find it humorous to imagine someone getting screwed over by getting into MIT and Stanford.</p>
<p>You can not apply Early Decision to more than one school. You sign a contract to that effect when you apply ED. In many cases, however, you can still apply to schools that have Early Action.</p>
<p>The exception: If you are applying to a school that has "Single Choice" Early Action, you can only apply early to that particular school. No other "early" applications.</p>
<p>You do need to look at ED/EA accept rates as compared to RD accept rates. Keep in mind that the early crowd tends to be a stronger group than the regular crowd. If the rates are very close or lower, then you know that it may not be a wise thing to apply early if you are not a competitive applicant. However, if you are in that crowd, the other thing an early app can do is give you a second chance if you are deferred. My close friend's D was deferred from Barnard, and a conference with admissions gave her the opportunity to address some concerns. Had she applied RD, she would not have been able to zone in on certain things. Most kids rejected or waitlisted RD really have no idea what went into the decision. It is very, very rare to be able to appeal a rejection. An early deferral is something that can be addressed. Of course if the school tends to reject early applicants, this advantage does not exist.</p>
<p>There are also some schools that have restrictive EA, but not single-choice. Georgetown and BC come to mind, for example. You can apply EA to as many schools as you like, but you aren't allowed to apply ED to any school.</p>
<p>Also, IMO, if you get rejected early, you probably would have been rejected RD anyway. EA gives you a chance to see what cards you have in your hand before you send out RD applications - I don't think it really influences admission decisions, the advantages have to do only with timing. ED is a whole 'nother story, though.</p>
<p>I guess that makes sense. Thanks for explaining it.</p>
<p>could you apply ED to a school even if you're not sure if you can financially afford it?
if so, what happens if you're accepted but don't get enough aid?</p>
<p>If you're accepted through ED, you're pretty much bound to attend the school. That's why it's not a tool to mess around with - if you can't afford the finaid package you're offered, I believe there's some kind of lengthy appeal process through which you can get out of the ED contract, but seriously, if there's any chance you might not be able to afford your finaid package, ED is NOT for you.</p>
<p>Highopes brings up an important advantage EA brings to the college admissions table. You can use the process as a litmus test and to eliminate schools from your list. It can be your safety mechanism at the same time. My oldest son applied to several schools early and was deferred at one, accepted at the others. he could then see where his admissions challenges would be. He eliminated any schools on his list that he did not like as much as his early acceptances. He also knew that schools at the level of the one that deferred him were going to be challenges in gaining acceptance.</p>
<p>Second son got disappointing news early. He had to come up with a new list of schools when he realized that he was aiming a bit too high. He eliminated some choices and added a number of more realistic chances. This way he had an array of choices at the end of the process instead of being stuck with little or no choice.</p>
<p>Isn't ED to Ivy's now considered smart if you earn < 100k/year because they're need blind now?</p>
<p>Does applying with EA help scholarship chances?</p>
<p>Zester, 100K seems high to me but I suppose it varies according the aid policies at any particular school. However, in principle, you make a good point. Our family is <60K (with no assets other than our home) and we felt comfortable when my son applied ED to his needs-blind/meets-full-need/no-student-loans dream school. It worked out just fine. If it had really ended up being unaffordable for us, I have no doubt we would have been released unharmed from the ED agreement. ;)</p>
<p>well why do universities use EA if it doesn't help them really, and it doesn't help the students either? shouldn't they just stick to ED then?</p>
<p>It does help the students as people above have said. It also helps the school. If they finish reading some of the applications early, they don't have to worry about working 100 hours a week during regular season. Also applying early means that school is one of the highest on your list. Or at least that's what i thought..</p>
<p>I don't like ED, but I don't like EA either. It doesn't make sense that you can just apply early to nearly every school you want. I think the best choice is SCEA. That way the students have a way out if something happens, and the school knows that it's your first choice.</p>
<p>admissions would be a lot better and easier for the student and school if every school is SCEA...</p>
<p>I love the idea of EA - but if every school had it, it would be useless. I'm planning to apply to 2-3 schools early action (one low reach, one match, and one safety). This way, at Christmas, I'll know where I stand - if I get into my reach early, I might be done with college apps. If I get into my match, I won't have to apply to anymore safeties. If I get into my safety, that's a good fallback option already lined up.</p>
<p>People seem to overlook the benefits of EA because they're more concerned with tools to increase admission chances and trying to game the system. EA's benefits are all about seeing where you stand earlier - it takes a lot of stress off the applicant come RD time, and it shows you what changes you might need to make if rejected. SCEA is better than ED, but I like the idea of applying to a couple schools rather than just one - it would be ridiculous if every school had EA, but as it is now, a few select schools offer EA, and applicants are willing to accept that the EA pool may be more qualified in order to get their results early. Just my .02 :)</p>